Hey guys. One of my first posts here, but been reading for a long while now and absorbing as much as i can about my first s2000.

I have a 2003 with 130,000 miles. I have owned it for about 3-4 months now, and i have no prior service records or any idea of whats been done.

The car was bone stock when I received it beside a k&n intake.

The only thing I have done so far is put on a nvidia test pipe with 02 fix.

I have no check engine codes and the car runs and pulls great. absolutely no hiccups with the running/driving/performance of the car whatsoever.

My friend noticed that it blows a lot of white smoke on WOT. There is well over 2,000 miles on it since installing the test pipe and the problem still persists the same.

My oil burns at a "regular" rate I would say. My coolant has not gone down at all. Oil and coolant are both completely clean and the shades they should be. I dont suspect them mixing.

I went ahead and checked my compression just to see what would happen. Dry check with the engine just warmed up for 30 minutes I pulled 185-215-220-215 Triple checked all the cylinders and all tests came out -/+5

After the test i found behind the car that the exhaust had blown out lots of water with lots of black carbon in it. Figured this was worth mentioning.

Im looking for ideas from you guys on where to go from here. Valve seals? Valve adjustment? Piston rings on cylinder 1? headgasket?

Not expecting a perfect internet diagnosis, just looking for ideas on what to start checking from here.

Sorry for the long post, but i know the more information you have the more you can help.

I have attached photos of the spark plugs, the black carbon/water from the exhaust, and a close up of the spark plug from the 185 cylinder.[attachment=81965:IMG_20150707_174757507.jpg]

 

I hate to tell you this bro, but you lost the tip on that plug, and no doubt its scored your cylinder wall, causing it to read significantly lower then the others. The other plugs have a lot of crust build up on them, likely from oil burn over time. I'd say change the plugs and keep the oil topped off religiously and just keep driving it until your oil consumption gets worse beyond dealing with. Because of the bad cylinder, I don't think its worth investing the money in the top end with valve guides and seals, even if some of the oil burn is coming from there, which is totally possible. Like I said, id just replace the plugs and drive it. 130k isn't exactly low miles, but the spark plug tip was unfortunate. May have been a bad gap job, prying it back and forth too many times. Could be original plugs for the engine.

 

Maybe head gasket issue. Those plugs look like possible detonation problem. You losing water in the radiator or oil in radiator water?

 

What causes all that black on the ground?

 

Ah, that really sucks. Cant be that bad though, right? I mean like I said theres no check engine codes and everything runs absolutely perfect besides the smoke and the compression is just about within spec, about 30 off compared to hondas 28 they allow.. I guess ill just drive it into the ground, lol.

 

I think the black h20 is just soot/condensation and is somewhat normal for a test pipe/HFC. I get a bit, not that much but a little.

 

It's hard to say, definitely could be head gasket issue as windhund mentioned. What does the engine look like? Is it sweating oil anywhere? That can be a good indication you've got some bad gaskets. Those plugs are definitely shot, so get new ones asap.

 

No oil leaks whatsoever around the engine. it stays looking brand new on the outside. Coolant and oil have both been the exact color they should be as long as ive checked.

 

whats the best option if I do ever decide to fix my scorn cylinder? Replacement, or machining to fix it? whether that be honing, bore out and use oversized pistons etc. what are some of my options?

 

I guess other than the missing tip I don't think those plugs look too out of the ordinary.